Photo courtesy of Andy L on flickr.
The latest leak over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) highlights ongoing tensions between the 12 nations trying to negotiate the trade pact, says Australian National University trade law expert Dr Matthew Rimmer. With the next round of negotiations due to take place in Australia next week, anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks has released the latest version of the intellectual property chapter of the TPP. Dr Rimmer, an ARC Future Fellow at the ANU College of Law, said it was outrageous that Australians must rely on leaks to find out what is being discussed at the trade talks. "The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a sweeping trade agreement, spanning the Pacific Rim. It is outrageous that the text of the agreement has been kept secret, and we are forced to rely upon WikiLeaks to gain glimpses of the hidden text," Dr Rimmer said. "The TPP reveals geopolitical tensions between negotiating countries in Southeast Asia. "The US and Japan are pushing for stronger and longer intellectual property rights.
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